Skip to main content

All roads lead to Ipoh


Illustration by JEHAN MOHD.


I have been spending a lot of time in Ipoh, the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia lately. My birthplace is Batu Gajah, some 40 minutes' drive away, but I grew up in Ipoh. When I am asked to name my hometown, the enthusiastic answer is Ipoh. Batu Gajah is an afterthought.

Ipoh is two and half hours by car from Kuala Lumpur, so it qualifies as a short journey. Each time I cross Hulu Bernam, the border town of Selangor and Perak, the excitement of getting close to "home" becomes stronger and I have to will myself to be patient.

Ipoh has that effect on me. It gives me a sense of place, a sense that I belong to a tiny haven of peace and tranquillity. I don't get that feeling when I return to Kuala Lumpur from Ipoh even though I have stayed in the city for a good part of my adult life beginning from the day I entered university. I learned about life's harsh realities in Kuala Lumpur but it is, essentially, my workplace, not my home.

When I am in Ipoh, I always make a quick trip around the city and inevitably to our old family home which now seems out of place. The surrounding area has developed to include high-rise buildings and their attendant problems. I have vivid memories of that house and at the time it was my whole world. I saw the current owner in the garden recently and wondered if she and her family were enjoying their stay there.

Ipoh -- which is known for its natural attractions (think limestone caves), food and affordable property prices, among other incentives -- is promoted as a retirement hot spot, a label I deeply resent. Why do many assume that only retirees would want to live there? My conversations with young Ipoh-born Malaysians who now work in Kuala Lumpur suggest otherwise. If they had their way, they would love to come home and build their careers in comfortable and familiar surroundings.

Buildings have mushroomed to meet the aspirations of growth. I don't recognise many new structures although the old ones look as if time has stood still, for example, the city bus station which seriously needs a facelift.

If you have come looking for food, Ipoh is THE place. As my niece guides me through the numerous eateries there, I thank God for the city's "small and cheap town" reputation. You can have a feast everyday. Take that Kuala Lumpur!

When I was in Ipoh last week, I met two returnees who had lived abroad for a long time. K was in the United States for 10 years before coming home; he now runs a cane furniture business.

SH had spent a good part of his life overseas and  felt the urge to return to Ipoh while drinking coffee in a cafe in Sri Lanka. As he sipped his favourite beverage and took in the ambience of the cafe and its environs, he realised that everything he ever wanted could be found in Ipoh. He packed his bags the next day and booked a flight to Malaysia. He is currently enjoying his landscape gardening enterprise.

These men had felt the sense of place that their hometown gave them. It remained real even though they were miles away from home. This is a sentiment that I totally agree with.

Comments

soo said…
Mike can't imagine living in KL when he retires. I shall recommend Ipoh to him, then we all can hobble with our zimmer frames and go drink Ipoh kopi.

Popular Posts

Dealing with death of a loved one

Today marks the end of Rabiaa's mourning period. She had completed four months and 10 days or 130 days of grieving, the stipulated period for expressing sorrow for Muslim widows.  The death of her husband on Dec 30, 2020 was expected  but it still came as a huge shock to her. It was too sudden, she felt. Yet  observers would not agree. Her husband became bedridden in mid-November after a collision between his big bike and a car which had come from the opposite direction after taking an illegal turn.  In addition to being bedridden, Anwar, lost his voice which was the direct result of the  brain injury he had suffered after the accident. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. How does Rabiaa feel now? The pain is bearable but the memories remain as vivid as ever. She is still unwilling to clear up all of her husband's things and some items remain in their original positions as before he became bound to the bed. His belongings connect Rabiaa to Anwar and sh...

Buah Tarap: A chance encounter

You learn something new everyday. My friend Alina is very fond of repeating this. And I agree with her. Today I tasted the Buah Tarap (Tarap Fruit) which is said to be unique to Sabah/Borneo. My colleagues and I arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this afternoon; we are here for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge which will take place at the Suria Mall over the weekend. After checking into the Beverly Hotel we walked to a nearby eatery for a spot of tea. It was then that I chanced upon the Buah Tarap and began snapping away. My colleague, who had eaten the fruit in Bandung, Indonesia, was excited to see it. He bought one for us to try. The stall vendor split the fruit into two and we bit into its flesh. Everyone liked it but describing its flavour remains a challenge. The fruit, which looks like nangka (jackfruit) or chempedak,  has an unusual combination of tastes: it is sweet but not as sweet as the jackfruit nor as chunky. Words fail me. It feels so lig...

Next stop, Sungkai

The locomotive joins the failed train A routine trip to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a medical check up turned out to be a nightmare for Rabiaa Dani and her husband. Their ticket was for a day train ride to KL Sentral , leaving Ipoh railway station at 8.20am, and returning to Ipoh at night. The couple arrived safely at KL Sentral Station and proceeded to the hospital immediately. Everything went well at the hospital. They even managed to sneak a shopping trip to KLCC for a quick look see before returning to KL Sentral for their 7.40pm train back to Ipoh. The train (9032), like clockwork, departed at the scheduled time. Both Rabiaa and her husband fell asleep about ten minutes after the train had left KL Sentral station. They woke up shortly before hearing the sound of a heavy object hitting something; the train came to a halt soon after. Replacement train at Sungkai station Their nighmare had begun. Rabiaa and her husband later learned that the train had hit a pig...